


Please Smile Again

by SymphonicFantasia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Artist Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Next Door Neighbors, Pining, Slice of Life, awkward confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 06:50:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18795166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicFantasia/pseuds/SymphonicFantasia
Summary: College is hard enough. Living next door to roommates who manage to be loud and obnoxious almost every day? That makes college life impossible and Keith is quite done with all the nose his neighbors start to make. Until they suddenly stop one day.Author Blurb: I’m a person who spends far too much time writing that I catch colds in the middle of summer. However, I’m grateful for the inspiration VLD has brought me. Without it, I don’t think I would have regained the joy of writing.A piece I did forAphelion.





	Please Smile Again

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly forgot to post this. It had been sitting in my drafts for well over a year. I was going through my documents and found it. Enjoy!

Not again.

Keith dropped his paintbrush and looked at the wall as if it were the one that offended him. The source of his irritation lay beyond the wall, in the next apartment. He’d lived here for around three months now, and he still hadn’t gotten over how loud his neighbors in 4G were. Since his first day living in Altea Apartments, they’d proven they could be obnoxiously loud, despite how sweet they had been when he first met them. They had been all cheerful and full of smiles, inviting him to come over whenever he pleased. Then, when the sun had finally gone down, they had been louder than Keith ever thought possible for two people.

He would have been more forgiving if they had children, but the couple lived alone together! They, and they alone, were producing all that noise.

In the beginning, Keith had assumed it was some sort of hazing. They would be loud for one night only, to see if he could survive living in their apartment complex. But the same thing had happened the next night, and then the night after next. After the fourth night, Keith had gone over to ask them to quiet down and they had listened-until the next night. Then he had been back to listening to his regularly broadcasted evening show of his neighbor’s lives. Full of drama and action starring Takashi Shirogane and Matthew Holt playing themselves.

He gave it half a star out of five.

The noise didn’t always bother him, and he was lucky. Some nights, they didn’t make a single sound. On those nights, Keith would catch up on all the harder parts of his homework. He was grateful that they were either gone or decided to be quiet for the evening. It never happened when Keith needed it the most, though, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Did he need their silence tonight of all nights? Of course.

It left him with only one option.

Without bothering to clean his hands or take off his smock, Keith strode towards his front door and threw it open. It banged against the wall with a sound that made him wince. He hoped there wouldn’t be a dent left behind that the landlord would charge him for. He made a mental note to check that when he returned. Keith only walked five feet down the hall to the door that offended him as much as the wall in his apartment.

Banging the side of his fist on the metal surface felt good. It felt even better when the noise inside the apartment quieted down. Keith knew it wouldn’t last for long, but it still pleased him to know that they were being silent.

The door slowly opened, and there stood half of his problem.

Keith was used to seeing Shiro smile. Shiro would smile at him when they got into the elevator in the morning, and then again when they got back in the evening. He couldn’t recall a time that Shiro _didn’t_ smile at him. If he remembered correctly, he had been all smiles the first time they had met, too. However, this smile was different from all the others. This one was ashamed and embarrassed, and Keith knew the reason behind it. He wasn’t a stranger to coming down the hall, knocking on their door,  and asking the two of them to be quiet. He did it once a week — or every other week, at least.

Shiro chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

“Evening, Keith. To what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you here?”

It was a song and dance that they were both familiar with. Maybe it had become some sort of game for Matt and Shiro to play innocent when Keith came over. Or maybe they truly didn’t know how loud their voices really were. Anything was possible, but Keith wasn’t one to believe in excuses. He crossed his arms and glared at him, his finger tapping on his bicep.

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but a dart flew suddenly out of the open doorway. Keith ducked, narrowly avoiding being hit by it. This only fueled his irritation more, and he felt that he could bore holes through Shiro with his glare if he tried.

The man under his intense gaze cleared his throat.

“Sorry about that. We’ll be sure to keep it down for the rest of the night. I know you’re busy with schoolwork most of the time.”

Keith bit back the slick comment he held at the back of his throat. Shiro seemed apologetic enough in appearance. There was no need to make him even more miserable before sending him back to his boyfriend. Instead, Keith turned on his heel and headed back to his apartment.

“Have a good night!” Shiro called after him, making him falter in his steps. Keith waved to him over his shoulder and didn’t bother sparing him a glance.

That took care of his problem for the night.

* * *

The next morning started as it usually did. Keith stood waiting for the elevator, trying to suppress a yawn. It always ran slowly in the morning. He never understood why or bothered to ask the supervisor for a reason. That reason being that it didn’t seem like he cared too much about it.

Almost on cue, Shiro appeared before him, but something was different about him. Keith didn’t usually stare at him so openly, but today it was hard not to. Shiro looked haggard, something that was out of character for him. He usually looked so groomed and polished. Today, it looked like he had only used half of his effort to do so, with his messed-up tie and scruffy face.

It was a little heartbreaking.

“You okay?” Keith asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Shiro fought back a yawn, covering his mouth.

“Are you saying I look different?”

It was a poor excuse if Keith had ever heard one. He was sure that Shiro knew that as well. So, he didn’t push the topic.

“No. You don’t.”

The elevator arrived and they both filed in. It was more apparent in the steel cage than it had been outside it. Inside, the air was suffocating, and it seemed that a dark cloud had descended on them. Whenever he glanced at Shiro, he could tell it was coming from him. Everything about his new appearance screamed it, a tiny voice inside him that he kept quiet with tightly-closed lips.

It wasn’t Keith’s place to talk or ask him about it. Whether it was work or something between him and Matt, it was better for him to stay out of it. Shiro was a strong person. Whatever was wrong, he’d be able to get himself out of it.

But days turned into weeks until a month and a half passed.

Shiro stopped smiling, and the cloud that loomed over him remained. Noises stopped seeping through the walls and things were relatively quiet. Keith only noticed when he went a straight week of working on his hardest assignments without any interruptions. He didn’t question it, though. He didn’t ask Shiro if anything was wrong, or if Matt was okay. They exchanged pleasantries before and after returning from their Monday through Friday schedule.

“I don’t know why you’re suddenly so interested in your neighbor’s lives,” Pidge commented one day after their Saturday classes. “You said it yourself — that you didn’t like how loud they were. If they’re being quiet, I would think you’d be happy.”

They spoke the truth and Keith knew. Admitting his sudden interest was like swallowing nails, though. It scratched his throat and hung there like a lump he couldn’t swallow. Out of all his friends, Hunk would understand the most, but Pidge came a close second. They wouldn’t judge him and would listen to him as he talked. When it came to advice, though, Pidge was as useful as a super soaker when it was raining.

He only came up with the analogy because of the rain pouring down on them. Neither of them had bothered to look at the weather report and bring umbrellas for the day. The rain poured in torrents, creating a waterfall effect on the portico protecting them. Keith stuck out his hand and let the water hit it. He wiped his palm on his pant leg and sighed. It didn’t look like it would stop any time soon.

“It’s a little sad to see, that’s all.”

“What is?”

Keith took a deep breath.

“Every time I see him, he’s got this weird dark cloud hanging over his head. He wasn’t like that before.”

“So, he’s going through a rough patch. What’s wrong with that?” Pidge questioned, arching an eyebrow at him.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to explain it to Pidge. They questioned things too much because they saw everything from a scientist’s point of view. Emotions and dealing with people were a bit too complicated for them. When it came to computers, that’s where they shined the most. In matters like this? Keith had a better chance of talking to a wall about his problems.

“Nothing. Forget I asked.” He hadn’t meant to say it with such a bite. He felt bad about treating Pidge this way. It wasn’t their fault that they didn’t understand. It was just how they were.

Screeching tires caused them both to flinch, staring out at the street before them. A car backed up into view and the driver side window rolled down. Keith felt his heart hit the back of his throat, the lump growing and robbing him of speech as Shiro stuck his head out a fraction. Beside him, Pidge’s jaw seemed to drop and they backed up a few steps.

“Do you need a ride?” Shiro shouted over the rainfall.

Keith looked back over his shoulder, finding Pidge retreating into the school. They still had the same look plastered on their face. He couldn’t understand why. Looking back to Shiro, he chewed on his bottom lip. Keith didn’t want to stay at the school any longer than he needed to be. And Shiro did live in the same apartment complex as him.

“Uh, sure.”

With much reluctance, Keith held his bag over his head and ran for the black Kia. The rain fell on him in heavy drops, creating big blotches on his clothes and bag. He hoped his schoolwork wouldn’t get damaged too much. The street was only four long lunges from the school’s front entrance. Keith made it there in three.

Running to the passenger’s side, Keith watched for cars and threw the door open. He plopped himself in the seat with a wet sound, placing his bag in his lap.

“Thanks,” he muttered, running his hand through his hair. The ends were wet and he wiped his hand on the front of his shirt.

“Not a problem,” Shiro responded as he started to drive.

“How’d you know I was here?” It was a question that had come to him when he had first seen Shiro stick his head out the window. There was nothing stranger than your next-door neighbor knowing where you were.

“I recognized that mullet of yours.” Shiro smiled, but it was nothing more than a ghost of what he had been capable of before. What Keith _knew_ he was capable of. “I’m grateful there weren’t any cars behind me. I would have caused an accident from how hard I hit my breaks.”

Keith tried to push away the feeling that it was still a little bit strange. His phone chimed, startling him. It overpowered the soft music the radio was playing. He fished it out of his back pocket to see Pidge’s name and a line of text on the screen.

_Pidge: You never told me your neighbor was Shiro._

There were two questions on his mind now. The first one was why it mattered if his neighbor was Shiro or not. Second, how did Pidge know his name? Keith was sure that he had never mentioned Shiro by his name before, out of respect for the man’s privacy. Keith never knew what Lance was capable of, and Hunk couldn’t keep him on a tight enough leash to keep him from Facebooking the guy. Knowing Lance, he’d find Shiro within a day.

His phone went off two more times and Shiro chuckled.

“Someone’s popular,” Shiro commented, sparing Keith a glance.

“Uh… It’s that friend of mine from school,” Keith said, looking at the road straight ahead. “They were telling me about a, uh, project that’s due pretty soon. I completely forgot about it.”

Shiro chuckled again and Keith looked back down at his phone.

        _Pidge: Matt was your neighbor, too, right? He’s my brother. He’s been living with us again for like a month now._

_Pidge: They split about a month ago, I think. That’s why Shiro’s been acting so mopey and shit._

The past month finally made sense. He stared out the window as it all came rushing into his head. Why Shiro was suddenly sad all the time, why he hadn’t heard a single sound coming from his apartment or why he hadn’t seen Matt since then. He ran a hand down his face, watching the people and buildings they passed by.

It still clouded his mind by the time they reached the apartment building. The rain was still coming down, harder now than ever before. Shiro motioned for him to wait in the car, which was good because Keith didn’t think he had strength in his legs right now. He watched as Shiro grabbed an umbrella, stepped out, and walked over to his side of the car.

“Thank you,” Keith muttered, standing close to Shiro beneath the safety of the umbrella.

“Don’t mention it,” Shiro replied as they started to walk to the front doors. “You’re soaked enough as it is. I wouldn’t want your papers to get anymore ruined.”

That would be smart, but Keith couldn’t focus on what little amount remained of his homework. It had been kicked from his mind to rot in the darkest pits of hell, kicked away by the concern he had for the very man standing less than an inch away from him. This was going to be a long night. He could _feel_ it.

Under the safety of the building’s portico, Shiro closed his umbrella and held the door open for him. The walk to the elevator took longer than it usually did. At least, it felt that way to Keith. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and it drowned out all other sounds. He didn’t know if Shiro was talking to him and he didn’t hear the elevator when it came to the lobby. It was Shiro’s hand on his shoulder that made him realize it was there.

They stepped in, and Keith jammed his finger on their floor’s button and then on the button to close the doors. He needed to get as far away from Shiro as fast as possible. If not, he felt that he would spontaneously combust, taking Shiro down with him.

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked, leaning in closer.

Keith repressed the shudder that threatened to run up his body. He could feel Shiro’s breath on his damp neck.

“I’m fine. Maybe the rain’s making me sick or something.” _Or something._

“You should eat something hot when you get inside, then. Getting sick right now, so close to finals, wouldn’t be fun.”

Keith tucked a piece of hair behind his ear.

“I should be fine, but thanks.”

The elevator arrived on the fourth floor, and Keith bolted the moment the doors opened. He heard Shiro shout after him, but he didn’t stop. He even undid the locks on his door in record time, slipping into the apartment before Shiro was halfway down the hallway.

With the door safely closed, Keith pressed his back to it and slid to the floor.

He placed his head between his knees as his thoughts beat around the inside of his head. There was no use trying to pin any of them down. Usually, his mind would push and pull out ideas to paint for his schoolwork or just for fun. This was new for both himself and his mind. All Keith could do was allow his mind to run at fifty-five miles per hour, jumbling various thoughts and conclusions together, until it grew tired and settled down.

Keith didn’t know how long he sat there, hunched against the wall, waiting for his mind to tire out. It did after some time, and he was left with more clarity than he knew what to do with.

Maybe some small part of him _did_ like Shiro. The way he had smiled and had always seemed to be happy. How he had looked at Matt with such love, it was almost like Shiro had been watching a solar eclipse happen in real time. And maybe — just maybe — Keith did have a small crush on him. It wasn’t a romantic one, of course. He had known that Shiro had been with Matt, and nothing could have changed that. It had been one of those crushes that gave you bubbles in your stomach, but they remained as nothing more than fizzy bubbles.

But Shiro and Matt weren’t together anymore.

Now that they weren’t together, something could happen, right?

Keith shook his head. No, that’s not what he was concerned about. Shiro probably wasn’t ready for another relationship. Keith didn’t know how long he and Matt had been together, and it would be rude to just slip in, expecting something that wouldn’t happen for some time.

All he wanted was to see was Shiro smiling again.

With that goal in mind, Keith shot up from the floor. He dropped his bag off his shoulder and opened the door wide open.

Only romantic comedies could set them up like this. Romantic comedies where a blundering accident made fools out of one (or both) parties involved in it. This incident had Keith wanting to crawl under a rock and die. The door opened, and he crashed into Shiro. Shiro, who had his hand raised to knock, who had a _steaming_ bowl of soup in his _hand without a lid_. There was a moment of shock that passed between the two of them. They stared at the hot stain decorating Shiro’s stomach and chest before things clicked into place.

“Hah…” Shiro said softly, as he waved his hands, trying to cool the spot on his chest down.

“I’m _so_ sorry,” Keith said, mortified, running his fingers through his hair and down his neck.

“It’s… it’s okay!” Shiro made another sound low in his throat as he walked back to his apartment, waving his hands still.

Keith closed his apartment door and followed him. He continued to apologize like his mouth was on fire, the words burning his tongue. Shiro didn’t stop him from following him into his apartment. Keith’s focus was still on apologizing, and he didn’t realize where he was until Shiro disappeared into his room.

Shiro’s place was nicer than he had expected it to be, much nicer than his own apartment. After the breakup, Keith had expected it to be a bit of a mess with takeout boxes cluttering various surfaces. Instead, it was in impeccable condition. The only thing that seemed out of place was the mountain of clean and empty Tupperware on the kitchen table. Keith didn’t see a speck of anything that may have belonged to Matt. Which made sense to him. Why would Shiro want to keep anything of his ex-boyfriend’s lying around?

Now that he was in the apartment and he was highly aware of it, Keith felt awkward. He flexed his hands and let his eyes wander. He could make a hasty retreat right now. Shiro wouldn’t notice that he had left, maybe he hadn’t realized that Keith had followed him in here. The door was wide open. It would only take a few strides from him to make it out the door. If he could just _move_ his feet, he’d be able to do it.

Keith was halfway to the door when Shiro came back out of his room, pulling a shirt over his head. They stared at each other when Shiro realized he was still there. A whole minute of uninterrupted eye contact went by before they both looked away.

Shiro cleared his throat and walked over to the couch.

“Uh, have a seat if you want. I can go ahead and make you another bowl of that soup if you’d like.”

“Do you _want_ more third-degree burns on your stomach?” Keith asked, forcing a smile. “That’s how you get more third-degree burns.”

The way Shiro laughed almost reminded Keith of how he had used to laugh before. Before the breakup and before the dark cloud which had hung over him. He sat down on the couch, sinking into the fine leather fabric.

“It’s not that bad. I’ve been through worse…”

Yeah, Keith knew. He did not know the story behind Shiro’s bionic arm, the scar on the bridge of his nose, or why he had a white shock of hair on his head at his age, but he knew there was something there. Keith had gone the past months not knowing about it. It wasn’t his place, and Shiro didn’t have to tell him if he didn’t want to.

Flexing his hands again, Keith stepped closer and sat down inches away from Shiro. He chewed on his bottom lip, looking everywhere but at the man sitting next to him.

“Can I, uh, see it?”

“Hm?” Shiro questioned, looking at him dazedly. “Oh. Right.”

Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he lifted it up to show off the red mark left behind from the soup. It didn’t look as bad as Keith had painted it to be in his mind.

Still, Keith sucked a breath of air through his teeth.

“That still doesn’t look too good.”

Shiro chuckled, looking down at it, too.

“It doesn’t, but it could be worse. My skin could be peeling and you’d be with me in the car driving to the hospital.” He raised his bionic hand and ran the fingers lightly over the red skin.

“I should be fine, though.”

Something compelled Keith to reach up and run the back of his hand over the spot. Shiro’s stomach dipped away from the touch and Keith could hear Shiro’s breath catching in his throat. Keith? He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing right now. His heart hammered in his ears and his blood was running hotter than the skin he was touching.

When he looked up at Shiro, Keith was choked up, unable to breathe in or out. Shiro was staring at him so intensely. Had he been doing that since Keith had first touched him? If his heart had been running before, it was _racing_ now, going faster than he had ever felt it go. Words were lost to him, his mouth flopping open and closed as he struggled to say something, _anything_. Because something had to be said right now.

“I really like it when you smile,” Keith said before the connection between his mouth and brain could return.

Shiro blinked once. Twice.

“I’m sorry?”

Keith took in a big gulp of air and went for it. What did he have to lose, right?

“Your smile. I _really_ like it. I think I’ve been in love with your smile from the moment I moved in.” He licked his lips, but it didn’t help much. Even his mouth was dry.

“Every time you smiled, I always felt… great and happier myself. And that’s an amazing feeling. And… And…”

He felt a sneeze coming on.

“And…?” Shiro encouraged him. He sounded out of breath, and Keith wished he could feel pride over making him feel that way.

Keith sneezed three times in succession, pressing his mouth into the crook of his elbow. A cat came out of nowhere and jumped onto Shiro’s lap, curling up and purring. He hadn’t known Shiro had a cat. Hadn’t he read somewhere that the apartment complex didn’t allow pets of any kind? He rubbed at his throat, staring at the cat, which stared back at him. It was a strange-looking cat. Keith didn’t think that cats came in a breed that was extra-long with a flat face.

“Slav, I thought you were in the room,” Shiro told it, scratching behind its ear.

Standing up, Keith backed up to the door.

“Uh, I… I gotta go…”

The look Shiro gave him had him wishing he could stay. Hurt, but also confused and worried. It was hard to explain things when your throat was starting to close.

“Keith, are you okay? You look really-”

“I’m allergic to cats, so…” Keith fumbled with the doorknob before he could get a good grip on it to pull it open. “I gotta go!”

He hadn’t meant to slam the door when he left, but he did.

* * *

Sunday rolled around and Keith refused to leave his apartment. Leaving his apartment meant that he had a fifty-fifty percent chance of seeing Shiro, and he couldn’t have that. Not after the embarrassing fumble that happened yesterday. He couldn’t decide what was worse: coating Shiro in hot soup or admitting to him about his smile and then choking up because of his _cat allergy_. It was a tossup.

Shiro did try to visit him, though. Keith didn’t open the door when Shiro announced it was him. In fact, he crawled over to the door and pressed his ear to it, waiting for him to leave. There was something that he wanted to talk to Keith about, but he couldn’t just force the door open. Keith refused to do it, as well. Open it and face his embarrassment from yesterday? He needed a full twenty-four hours to get over what had happened before he could look Shiro in the eye.

It wasn’t healthy to stay locked up in an apartment for that long, but Keith wasn’t budging from his decision.

There was a knock on his door and he froze in front of his easel. He strained his ears to try and determine who was there. He stood up and walked to the door. There was a chance it could be Shiro again and, if it was, he was determined to not open the door. This wasn’t _Frozen,_ where he could be bribed out of his apartment by wanting to build a snowman.

“Who is it?” Keith called out.

“It’s Pidge. Let me in.”

Keith let out a soft sigh and worked on undoing the locks. He opened the door and Pidge immediately put themselves in the doorway, leaning against the frame. They had a booted foot pressed to the door as well, and Keith didn’t like the way they were grinning. If the burns on Keith’s hand from when they messed around with a torch had anything to say about it, Pidge grinning like that was never a good sign.

“Guess whom I found wandering the halls, looking like a lost puppy?” Pidge said, crossing their arms.

Keith’s words froze in his throat when Shiro stepped into view. He leaned against the doorframe, his arm hovering over Pidge’s head. For once in a long time, he was smiling. Keith hadn’t seen him smile like that in so long. It felt like sunshine and, he wouldn’t admit it to anyone but himself, it made his knees weak.

“Shiro,” he mumbled, looking away.

“Keith.” Shiro ran a hand through Pidge’s hair. “Thanks, Pidge. I owe you one.”

Pidge tugged on his jacket.

“Right, so, when that big science fair shows up, you’ll be taking me?”

“I promise.”

With a grin, Pidge waved goodbye to Keith and disappeared down the hall. This was a betrayal if he had ever seen one. Shiro stepped into the apartment, forcing Keith to step back. He closed the door and leaned against it. There was no escape now. Keith looked out the window and thought about jumping out of it. He could survive a fall from the fourth floor.

“You can’t survive a drop from this height, Keith,” Shiro claimed. He hadn’t lost his smile. “Even if you could, you’ll be stuck in a hospital bed. And I will visit you _every day_.”

Keith breathed hard through his nose and hung his head in defeat. Looking at Shiro, he placed his hands on his hips.

“Well, what you do you want with me?”

Shiro pushed off the wall and walked closer. Keith felt like a rabbit trapped by a wolf’s gaze. A wolf that looked ready to gobble him up in two bites. If that wasn’t the hottest— Keith fell over the arm of the couch and landed onto the cushions before he could finish that thought. Shiro moved along to the back of it and braced his arms against it.

“I wanted to talk about last night.”

If there was a record for how fast someone could blush, Keith would have broken it. All the heat went to his cheeks and he wanted to be as far away from Shiro as possible. But he was frozen on the spot, staring up at the smile that he wanted to bottle up for a rainy day.

“W-what about it?”

“So, you like my smile?”

He wanted the couch to swallow him whole. He wanted it to take him to the land where pocket change and TV remotes went when they disappeared. Keith couldn’t play it cool now. Not when Shiro’s smile was making him blush so hard. He could still try, though.

Sitting up, Keith swung his legs around to the front of the couch. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

“Yeah, I do. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you smile the way you are right now.”

“I have been smiling.”

“Not the way you are right now,” Keith corrected, looking back at him. “Before, your smiles looked like you had given up on everything.”

Shiro was quiet as he walked around the couch to sit beside him. He slumped onto the cushions, looking defeated.

“A lot has been going on, Keith.”

Keith couldn’t lie to Shiro and have him believe that he didn’t know. He chewed on his lip, gathering the courage to tell him.

“Pidge told me yesterday, actually. About Matt, I mean.”

Despite his worries, he dared steal a glance at Shiro, peaking at him through his hair.

Shiro’s chest rose and fell with steady breaths as he stared at the ceiling, his expression unreadable.

“Pidge is a good kid.”

“Yeah, they are. Smart, too.”

Shiro laughed.

“I’m pretty sure Pidge helped with most of the research for my college work.”

“Geez, where’s the help for me, then? Almost every time I ask for help, I’m given the bird while they go back to their own work.”

Shiro laughed, a sound that reminded Keith of wind chimes on a summer day. When Shiro’s laughter died down, the two of them were left in comfortable silence. Keith tapped his feet on the floor, waiting for something to happen to their conversation. Rays of sun slipped into the room, creating a warm effect. He thought about painting it or at least giving it a quick sketch. His fingers itched with the idea until Shiro spoke again.

“Do you want to go on a date with me?”

If this had been a comedy, Keith would have spat his drink all over Shiro. Instead, he just gaped at him, Shiro staring back at him with an expectant gaze. How could he ask him that question with such calmness? Keith’s mind was _losing_ it, his heart rattling against his ribs like a prisoner demanding to be set free.

A date with Shiro didn’t seem like a bad idea. And it was just _one_ date. What could happen during _one_ date?

“All right. Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

As it had turned out, Keith enjoyed that date. Dinner, a trip to an art gallery that one of his coworkers had put together, followed by a nice walk in the park. If this was what it was like to be spoiled, then he wanted to be signed right up.

The past couple days of rain had finally stopped and the city looked a bit brighter. Shiro carried an umbrella with him, just in case a cloud decided to burst. They didn’t hold hands or playfully bump into each other. They walked side by side, stopping only when Keith wanted to take a picture of something to paint later from reference.

“It’s your turn to ask a question,” Keith said, slipping his phone away into his pocket.

“Hmm,” Shiro hummed as they started walking again. “Why’d you pick up art?”

Keith had known this was coming. He hadn’t known when Shiro would drop the bomb on him, but it had been bound to happen.

“I was having some anger issues back in junior high school. A counselor thought that maybe painting would be the thing to calm me down. My family wasn’t rich, or even middle-class, so she bought me all the supplies I needed and everything.”

He patted his thighs, staring at the trees instead of Shiro. “It helped a bit. I still got into fights, but not as much, knowing that I could paint my frustrations away.”

“It’s nice to know you had someone looking out for you back then.”

“Yeah.” Keith didn’t want to dwell on it too much. He was grateful for her help, though, and for setting him on a good starting path for his interests.

“My turn: what happened to your arm?”

“Going straight for the kill, aren’t you?” Shiro asked with a chuckle. “It was a bad car accident when I was a teenager. My mind’s still a bit scrambled from the incident, so I can’t give you the details on how it happened. I remember driving, then a blur of activity, then the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital looking different than before. I was told that the bad kids in school fawned over me, but I’m not so sure I believe that.”

Keith could see that happening. Only because he could see himself, a token bad boy in his school, doing the same thing. But Shiro was more than just his looks. This date of theirs proved it.

“It’s a good look on you. I think I’ve seen a lot of people straight up swoon over you as we passed them.”

“Oh no. You better protect me before they get any ideas of kidnapping me.”

Keith laughed at the thought, tilting his head back. Keith enjoyed his time with Shiro. He laughed at the fact that he hadn’t wanted to spend time with him before. Now, here they were, walking home together through a park. Maybe it had a bit of a romantic element to it, but it didn’t seem to be on either of their minds. They were simply enjoying each other’s company, learning more about each other so that they were more comfortable. How he had gone so long without getting to know Shiro and Matt was beyond him.

“I have no other questions to ask you, so it’s your turn again.”

Keith hummed in thought, closing his eyes. There were many questions he had left to ask. During their time together, he had learned so much about Shiro. What more was there to ask him, other than personal questions about his life? Questions involving Matt and their relationship were out of the question. Only one remained.

“Why’d you decide to ask me out?” Keith asked, focusing his gaze on something in the distance. He couldn’t look at Shiro right now.

But Shiro chuckled.

“I always thought you looked cute with your hair in a ponytail and paint splotches on your face and clothes.”

Keith dared to look at him, finding the faintest tint of pink dusting Shiro’s cheeks. “Really?”

“Yeah, sure,” Shiro answered. “I can think people are cute while still being loyal to Matt.”  He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not like I was ready to drop my… a very _long_ relationship with Matt because I thought someone was cute.”

“Right.” What the heck. He might as well ask him. “Feel free to ignore this question, but how long were you and Matt dating for before the breakup?”

Shiro stopped walking and closed his eyes. Keith waited patiently for an answer, positive or not.

“I’m twenty-four now, so… We were together for six, almost seven, years.”

“Not everyone can maintain a relationship for that long.”

Shiro’s smile almost made his knees go weak. “I’m not everyone.”

Keith smiled back at him, agreeing with that statement silently.

The rest of their walk consisted of silence, the only sound happening between them being the _tap tap tap_ of Shiro’s umbrella hitting the pavement.

Once they were on the floor they shared in their apartment complex, Shiro insisted on walking Keith to his door. Even though he was told he didn’t have to, he still did it. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, so he said. His grandmother had taught him to always do it.

Keith patted his thighs as they reached his door.

“This was nice.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Shiro responded. His smile was contagious and Keith couldn’t hold back his own. “I wasn’t sure what we could do, but things seemed to play out as best as they could.”

“You should go ahead and thank that co-worker of yours for planning an art gallery on such a perfect day.”

Shiro chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure there’s an email or two waiting for me with questions. It’ll be fun to be vague about you until they give up.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Keith ran his hand through his hair and took in Shiro’s face. The sharp curves of his jaw and cheekbones, and how thick his eyelashes were. Others may have, at one point, found the scar across his nose disfiguring; Keith thought it fit him perfectly. He wondered what Shiro had looked like before the accident.

“I have a crazy question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“Can I… draw you someday?” It sounded silly the moment the words left his mouth. He should have expected as such.

Shiro’s smile felt even better than a star being born.

“I’m flattered, but are you sure you want to draw someone with a face like mine?”

Oh, if only Keith could process the words and tell him how wrong he was about his own looks. Shiro clearly hadn’t seen the various people who had looked at him during the art show and their walk. There may not be enough words to tell him if Keith was honest with himself. If they existed, then he wouldn’t be the one to tell Shiro. When it came to telling Shiro anything, they died in his throat, extinguished like a candle’s flame.

Actions were always better for Keith. It’s how he could tell a million stories with his paintings; how he was able to touch people’s emotions and speak to them. Why rely on words, which were difficult for Keith, when he could use his actions to speak for him?

And just like that, he knew what he could do.

Keith acted before he had a chance to change his mind. He stepped closer, hearing his heartbeat in his ears, like the familiar sound of beating brushes against his easel. Shiro tensed beneath his hands when he gripped his biceps, his brow furrowing and a question on the tip of his tongue. Keith stole the question away when he kissed him, standing on his toes to gain leverage.

Kissing Shiro was like taking a dip in a refreshing spring. His cologne and aftershave filled Keith’s lungs and he felt dizzy. Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist and pulled him in closer, forcing a soft sound out of him. They remained attached to one another even when their lips parted.

“That’s… one way of saying I have a nice face,” Shiro said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Keith chewed his bottom lip, trying to keep himself from smiling. No such luck there. He pushed away from Shiro, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Sorry. Words aren’t exactly my strong point…”

“It’s fine. It’s an endearing quality of yours.”

“Well, thanks… I guess,” Keith said, moving his hand to the back of his neck.

“You’re welcome.” Shiro stepped closer and Keith had to refrain from stepping away from him. “Why don’t I come back tomorrow? I’ll bring something for dinner.”

Keith bit his lip and nodded his head, unable to trust himself to give a valid answer without making his voice squeak. His attempts were for naught when Shiro leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheekbone. He flattened his back against his door, watching him walk back to his apartment.

“Ah,” Keith started, finally finding his voice, “be safe going home.”

Shiro chuckled and turned, continuing to walk back to his apartment.

“It’s so dangerous in this hallway, right? I might need to hire a live-in bodyguard again.”

There were so many promises in that one little sentence. Promises that Keith couldn’t wait to see come true between them and whatever _this_ was for them both.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was so old that I was still using "~*~*~" for my line breaks...
> 
> Be sure to check the zine out and what the proceeds were placed towards [here](https://twitter.com/aphelionzine?lang=en). [My Twitter](http://twitter.com/val_hellaa/)


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